Christmas Alphabet
by Libstar
Summary: A set of festive drabbles prompted by a single word. Started off as doing the full alphabet but 26 fics is a lot!
1. Advent Calender

So I began December with the intention of writing 26 Christmas Drabbles, one for every letter of the alphabet, I found a festive word for each letter and I startedbut 26 is a big number, and daunting, I managed twelve and debated over sharing them but decided why not, I've written them I might as well post them. They don't follow any kind of timeline, they aren't even from the same universe they are just snapshots of Mirandy christmases in all the universes!

So here they are, usual disclaimers apply and I hope you enjoy. Oh and Happy New Year x

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><p>Andrea shouldn't have been surprised that advent calenders weren't a traditiong in the Priestly household but she was. Mostly because her grandmother had always upplied one for her and her sister when she was growing up but also because she had assumed the twins would demand them. But what it came down to was that Miranda thought them far too plebian and honestly, who needed chocolate everyday anyway?<p>

Andrea didn't agree and so, their third december together, when she had been living in the townhouse for a year and Miranda had trusted her with the girls for much longer, she decided she would start a new tradition. Knowing that Miranda wouldn't stand for anything that she could pick up in just any store, nor somehing that was entirely chocolate, Andrea contacted a designer she still had contact with from her Runway days and commitioned three perpetual advent calenders and took her time filling each one.

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><p>On 30th November, once the girls were in bed, Andrea pushed Miranda to rush through the book with whispered promises and teasing touches, pulling her up to the bedroom where her advent calender was laid out on the bed.<p>

"What's this?" she asked with a raised eyebrowas Andrea dropped herself onto the bed and grinned up at her,

"Well there are perpetual advent calenders hanging in my office for the girls."

"Andrea."

"Let me finish," Andrea chastised lightly, tugging the older woman down onto the bed beside her, "And I know you hate them because they are tacky and full of chocolate but this is a tradition that I treasure from my childhood and it's one I would really like to share with the girls."

"Ok," Miranda nodded, willing to at least hear her love out, "What is this though?"

"This one is yours." Andrea grinned, "I had one hand made for each of you, they are all one of a kind, and I filled each day so it was personal for each of you." a few of the days contained treats for all three Priestly's but Miranda's had been the hardest to fill by far, Andrea had spent many days pouring over the older woman's planner to work out what she could and couldn't offere depending on what the editor had going on. It would be worth the hard work though, so long as she could persuade Miranda to play along, she hoped she could because there was a diamond ring nestled in the pocket of the 25th that Andrea was sure she didn't have the bottle to actually give to Miranda. "There is no chocolate in any of them, just little gifts and in your case, plans and promises for what the day will bring"

"Do you have an example for me before I agree?" Miranda asked with a raised eyebrow, unable to deny that she was intregued by what this brilliant woman had been planning.

"Funny you should ask. i made you an extra day in the hopes it would persuade you," The brunette grinned, handing Miranda an envelope and watching her reaction as she read.

"Oh," Miranda all but growled, her eyes drkening as she regarded Andrea, "I think this is a tradition that I can get on board with. Yes. Very much so."


	2. Christmas Ever

"Everyone asleep?" Andrea asked when Miranda returned to the entertainment room and dropped herself onto the sofa beside her,

"Yes, finally. Molly wanted a story but of course as soon as Oliver knew his sister was getting one he wanted one too." Miranda chuckled, leaning into her wife's shoulder, "not that I expect they will sleep long. Caroline and Martin are getting all of the gifts ready."

"Good." Andrea pressed a kiss to Miranda's head and enjoyed the silence for a moment. Everything had been none stop since their daughters and their families had arrived and it was nice to just sit quietly for a moment. "What time are we expecting Nigel and Doug tomorrow?"

"Around midday. Though I expect a little earlier since it's their first Christmas with Thomas, I'm sure he will have them up at the crack of dawn."

"Hey guys," Cassidy stuck her head around the door with a smile, "can I interrupt?"

"Of course bobbsie," Miranda held out her hand for her daughter, unsurprised when Charlotte followed her, "not helping your sister set up downstairs?"

"You know what Caro is like mom." Cassidy laughed, pulling over a foot stool so she and Charlotte could sit in front of her parents. "She'll have some kind of system that no one else has any hope of understanding. Plus we wanted to give you two something before all the madness tomorrow." Cassidy pulled a small square box wrapped in silver paper from the pocket of her hoody and handed it to her mom with a wide smile, "merry Christmas"

Miranda slowly opened the package aware of Andrea's chin resting on her shoulders, watching her as she went. The wrapping was moved aside to reveal a box and Miranda gently lifted the lid, her eyes tearing up the moment she processed what she was seeing.

"Cass is this what I think it is?" Andrea asked with a watery smile,

"yeah, the treatment worked," Cassidy grinned, squeezing charlotte's hand, "mom are you ok?" Miranda hadn't said a word and was simply staring at the scan picture, an unreadable look on her face,

"It's twins," she murmured, brushing her fingers over the image, tracing the outline of each baby,

"It sure is," Cassidy rubbed her belly absently And reached out to squeeze her mothers hand, "merry Christmas grandma," the stillness that had settled over them was broken by Miranda's laugh of pure joy as she pulled her daughter to her and hugged her tightly, Andrea pushed herself to her feet and hugged Charlotte close too, whispering her congratulations in her ear. The red head would no doubt be finding this difficult, unable as she was to share the news with her own parents but Andrea would make sure that she got to share in the not too.

"Congratulations Bobbsey," Miranda grinned, pressing a kiss to Cassidy's temple and pulling Charlotte into her other side, repeating the gesture, "and you Charlotte. You really have given me the best Christmas Eve ever."


	3. Decorations

Andrea was stuck in Washington. Things at The White House had blown wide openand she was stuck reporting on it until it all came to some kind of conclusion and blew over. Miranda understood that, she really did but Christmas was fast approaching, the first Christmas that they weren't expecting either of the girls until christmas eve and she had been looking forward tohe two of them preparing the house ready for the girls return. At the moment though, it didn't look like her wife would make it home for the holiday. She felt bereft, wandering from room to roomwhen she knew that the two trees that had been delivered earlier that day were wating to be decorated but not knowing where to start when she was feeling so alone. Her phone rang, making her pause in her wandering, and she scrubbed her hand over her face as she answered,

"Miranda Priestly."

"Hey sweetheart." she instantly relaxed at the sound of Andrea's voice and dropped herself into the nearest chair,

"Hello darling."

"Did the trees arrive?" Andrea had had Miranda's assistant send her pictures of the best trees so she could decide which ones they would have,

"They did and they are in the places we agreed, the big one only just fit into the bay window in the denand the smaller one is in the conservatory though I don't think it's as small as we agreed."

"I'm sure it is," Andrea chuckled, "Did you start decorating?" She hated that she wasn't ther, she'd had great plans for this day and yet again one of their jobs was getting in the way, it was a constant battle.

"I haven't," Miranda sighed, "I was avoiding it I think."

"Oh Miranda I'm sorry. I know we planned to do this together," the brunette said gently, pulling her laptop towards herself and acting on impulse. Miranda had been struggling with the twins off t college and then they had announced that they wouldn't be home until Christmas Eve, Andrea could only imagine how tough it was for the older woman in the townhouse on her own. "Honey, go and get your laptop and set yourself up in the den," listening to her wife move around she quickly texted the girls, explaining the situationShe was pleased when her skype imediatley pinged to say that Cassidy had signed in and Caroline wasn't far behind her. Quickly she started the video confrence, pleased to see that both of them looked happy and healthy.

"Now what?" Miranda asked when she had the laptop set up on the coffee table,

"Sign into skype for me ok? I'm going to hang up but I'll see you in a minute" Miranda wasn't surprised that as soon as she signed in she had a call waiting, however she was surprised to find her daughters as well as her wife waiting for her,

"Bobbseys?"

"Hey mom, Andy the trees came today and we wanted to help you decorate," Cassidy said with a grin and Miranda's heart swelled, her wife really was amazing and, although it wasn't what she had planned it was as close to perfect as she could hope for.


	4. Family

It was only at Christmas that Miranda was plesed tha she and Andrea had opted to keep the townhouse when both of the twins flew the nest and got homes and husbands of their own. For the whole year the two of them rattled around in the huge house and Miranda would find herself feeling almost guilty for keeping so much space for just the two of them but at Christmast almost felt like there wasn't enough room. Caroline, Mark and the three children, Cassidy, Thomas and the twins, Nigel and Doug, AEmily, Serena and their daughter. The whole house felt warm and cozy, filled with the sound of the children playing and laughing. They weren't exactly a traditional family but they were the only true family that Miranda had ever known and even if it meant another ten years rattling arounf in too much space with Andreahe would keep this house just so that every single one of them knew they had somewhere they could come if they needed family.


	5. Gingerbread House

Miranda pushed herself throgh the door of the townhouse and tossed her bag onto the table, not having the energy to hand up her coat she drapped it over the banister to be dealt with later kicked off her shoes and followed the sound of the radio into the kitchen. It had been a long day, too long, and she wanted nothing more than a glass of wine and to curl up with her wife. The site that greeted her in the kitchen though, meant that that relaxation was probably a long way off.

"Andrea?" the brunette was stood with her back to the door in the middle of a kitchen that looked like it had been hit by a nuclear bomb. Miranda was sure that every cooking impliment they owned had been used, there was flour and icing sugar everywhere and there was a piping bag dripping icing into a sticky heap on the floor. Miranda wanted to be upset but the moment Andrea turned to greet her, the gentle swell of her stomach hugged by her apron and her face lit up with a smile all of Miranda's anger melted. The last few months of the pregnancy had been tough on the brunette but here, now, with flour smudged across her nose and cheek, a wooden spoon in one hand and the other stroking her bump she looked happy and healthy. She looked beautiful.

"Oh shoot, you're home. I wanted to get everything cleared up before you got back" she said, waving an arm around the kitchen, "I guess I lost track of time."

"Quite," Miranda offered a lopsided grin as she padded towards her wife, leaning up to press a kiss to her cheek and running a gentle hand over her rounded belly, "Hello darling."

"Hi," Andrea grinned, the hand not holding the wooden spoon reaching out to stroke the other woman's cheek, "How was your day?"

"Far too long," Miranda admitted, "Now what have you been up to?"

"I wanted to test run building a gingerbread house while the girls were away. Cassidy asked if we could make one next weekend but I wanted to do a practice run because it has been so long since I made one myself."

"Can I see? I tried to make one with them a few years ago but we couldn't get it to stand." rather than answer, Andrea took a step to the side so that Miranda could see her creation and the older woman was more than a little surprised, "Darling it's exquisite." the roof was covered in individual tiles and covered in flurries of snow, icicles hanging off its edges, each window has been painstakingly piped and he garden comes completewith a decorated christmas tree.

"I made one with my grandmother every year for thirteen years," Andrea said shyly, "Its nothing, really."

"Andrea darling its beautiful," Miranda said, turning to fully face her wife and pulling her as close as she could get her not caring about the mess she would be making of her suit, "You are beautiful."

"I'm covered in flour and goodness knows what else and that is on top of the fact that I am getting fatter by the day, I'm far from beautiful."

"Nonsense," Miranda leaned in and kissed the younger woman thoroughly, threading her fingers through her hair, "Come upstairs, let me show you exactly how beautiful I thtink you are."


	6. Ice Skating

"I told you this was a bad idea," Miranda growled from her pirch beside Andrea's bed, "I should have put my foot down, but no. You bat those eyelashes and I just give in. Now look where we are."

"Miranda please, I'm sorry ok. I didn't think I could possibly fall hard enough to break something" Andrea's voice was possibly the most pathetic that Miranda had ever heard it and her face was stained with tears, it made it impossible to be angry with her.

"Oh sweetheart," she soothed, brushing her hand through brunette locks, "You could fall into feathers and break something. Lets leave the ice skating to the girls in future."


	7. Jumpers (Christmas ones)

Because lets face ir, if anyone could get Miranda Priestly into a Christmas jumper it would be Andy wouldn't it?

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><p>"No," Miranda stated simply continuing to apply a maticulous face of makeup, eying her wife in the mirror, "We've had this conversation Andrea."<p>

"Miranda come on," Andrea fluttered her eyelashes, moving behind her wife and looping her arm round her waist "The girls picked it out just for you."

"I told you I am not wearing a christmas jumper, especially not for a photospread," Miranda sighed, "You're lucky I'm agreeing to this at all."

"It's all for a good cause sweetheart,"Andrea soothed, stroking her hand beneath the hem of her wife's shirt and over her stomach, "Everyone else in the spread wll be wearing them. You'll be the odd one out."

"I'm the head of America's premier fashion magazine darling, I'm used to standing out," she tried to ignore the fact that the brunettes hands were moving north and south respectivleywhile she smirked at her in the mirror.

"Well that's a shame," Andrea purred, slipping her fingers beneath the waistband of Miranda's slacks, "Because there was going to be a reward for compliance." the hands were gone before Miranda fully registered the fact they had hit their targets, "I'll leave this on the bed, we'll be waiting for you downstairs."


	8. Kris Kringle

Miranda was in Christmas party hell. This was not the party of some designer where she could get away with mingling for fifteen minutes before sneaking out, no. Here she was, surrounded by children high on sugar terrible fashion choices and gossiping mothers. Her son had abandoned her the moment they had stepped through the doors and Andrea hadn't been far behind him, drawn into conversation with the parents of some of Olivers friends. Miranda had hidden herself in a corner with a cup of, frankly terrible, coffee, hoping it would all be over soon. Next year she would hire a Santa Claus to come to the house, dammit she would dress as Santa Clause herself if it meant never being subjected to this hell again.


	9. Love Actually

Because Love Actually is THE Christmas movie in my opinion.

Miranda half considered not answering the door, who on earth came knocking on Christmas day anyway? But the second insistant knock, and a desire for a little human interaction on what had been a mostly lonely day, had her on her feet and moving down the stairs. To say she was stunned by who stood on her step was and understatement and the whispered 'Andrea' said more than she would have allowed it to had she been thinking clearly.

The brunette simply pressed a finger to her lips and smiled before pulling a scetch pad from behind her back. All Miranda could do was read each word that was revealed to her. By the time Andrea was done Miranda could barely breathe and she could barely see through the tears that had built unbidden in her eyes. The gentle kiss the brunette pressed to her cheek almost drove her to her knees.

Andrea was halfway along the block when she heard the sound of heals on concrete behind her. She didn't turn though until she heard Miranda call her name and she turned to find the older woman slighly breathless and shivering in her silk shirt.

"Oh God Andrea," she murmured, stepping closer and brushing the brunettes cheek, adding a whispered "me too" before she brought their lips together in their first kiss.


	10. New Year

Miranda pasted on her usual indiferent mask as the staircase turned and brought her in site of the ballroom. The thrill of awing a room to silence had worn off years ago and now she simply went through the motions, decending the stairs and allowing them to come to her. That night was even more tedious than usual because there wasn't even a small part of her that wanted to be there. She had never intended to be at the gala that night, it was New Years Eve and she and Andrea had planned to take the girls out to see the fireworks in the park until Irv had called and ordered her to attend. She was furious but she knew when to fight and when to withdraw, she would do her usual rounds and be home with her family when the ball dropped.

It was a little after one when she finally pushed her way into the townhouse. Irv, no doubt knowing exactly what she had been planning had stuck close all night and made sure there was a constant string of people for her to speak to, she had barely registered midnight. The light in the entertainment room was still on when she reached the first floor so she changed direction hoping to find at least Andrea still awake The TV had been muted but was still playing one of the twins favorite movies bu it wasn't until she had stepped more fully into the room that she located her family. They had pulled all of the cushions from the sofa, the twins had brought their duvets along from their rooms and all three of them were fast asleep. Turning a lamp on so she could see when she got back she turned off the big light and headed up to her bedroom so she could change from her gown into something more appropriate for a slumber party.

Once she was more comfortable she moved back to her family, grabbing a spare blanket on the wayand sliding into the make shift bed beside Caroline. The sight movement was enough to wake Andrea and a smile lit up her face the minute her eyes opened.

"Hey," she grinned, reaching over Caroline to take Miranda's hand, "I'm glad you are home,"

"Sorry it's so late. Irv..."

"don't worry about it," Andrea soothed, "You're here now. Do you want to go up to bed?"

"No, everyone seems comfortable here, lets not disturb the girls. Happy New Year darling."

"Happy new year Miranda. I love you."


	11. Under the Tree

Andrea packed the last of her gifts and pushed them under the tree, amazed at the sheer number of packages there already. She couldn't believe that she was here, living in the Priestly house, putting her gifts under the families tree. Last year she had arrived Christmas night, her gifts in hand and now she was here, living in Miranda's home, her home and she got to wake up on christmas morning with her family. It was amazing how much could change in a year and Andrea could only hoped that the last gift she had placed there would spark more change in the year to come.


	12. White Christmas

"mommy, mommy, mommy." Andrea rolled over with a groan and cracked her eyes open, she had no idea what time it was but she knew without moving that it was still ark outside, "Mommy!"

"Andrea, for goodness sake answer the girl," Miranda sighed from behind her and she pushed herself up with a chuckle,

"What's up Princess?" Katy was wide eyed and looked like she had been awake for hours,

"Mommy its snowing. Santa brought snow."

"And how do you know that?" she asked, pulling the girl onto her knee and pressing kiss to blonde curls, "because you were told you weren't allowed to get up until at least seven o'clock and its only half past six."

"I thought I heard a noise outside," Katy said matter of factly and Andrea pulled her down so she was lying between herself and Miranda, "Can we build a snowman mommy?"

"Not just yet sweetheart everyone needs a little bit more sleep before we get up ok?" Katy sighed dramatically, something she had picked up from the twins, and rolled over so she was looking at Miranda,

"Mama Randa?" Miranda's heart swelled like it had done the first time this little girl had called her mama and did everytime after,

"Yes my angel?" she said gently, cracking her eyes open and pulling the little girl to her, smiling at Andrea who had turned onto her side and thrown a protective arm over both of them

"Do you wanna build a snowman?" the little girl struggled through a yawn and snuggled into the warmth,

"Later darling, later. I even have the perfect scarf for himow get some more sleep, we can't build a snowman if you are too tired to help."


End file.
